This spot's over on Telegraph, not far from Cal. Gotta be college territory, because when I pulled up late night, it felt like I had walked into a frat house with a sushi license. Right when I stepped in, I heard this group outside yelling "Sake Bomb" like it was a halftime chant. You could hear them a block away. That little patio area was packed with frat energy, loud and lit. Inside, there was a long line for the bathroom, like 30 deep, and some dudes were banging on the door hard enough to start a scene. One guy almost fought another, and a girl ran out crying to the parking lot. Whole place felt like sushi night at Animal House. They've got a touchscreen at the front to place your to-go order or get seated. I was planning to dine in but switched it up. Way too hectic to be trying to enjoy raw fish while people are swinging on each other in the hallway. I ordered two rolls to go. One was topped with raw tuna and salmon, the other had grilled eel, avocado, and some spicy mayo. They came out fast and were really well put together, especially for a to-go order. Nothing was falling apart and the ingredients were fresh. The raw fish was clean, soft, no fishy smell or weird chew. The fried shrimp inside had a good bite and the tempura still held a little crunch by the time I opened the box. Only real critique? The roe was super small. I like a little pop when I bite into those, and this didn't really deliver that. But they did hook it up with a big pile of ginger, which I appreciated. While I was waiting, I saw nonstop delivery drivers coming in and grabbing bags. At least ten different pickups. That alone tells me this place moves volume and keeps regulars. The kitchen was working like a machine. Now the bathroom... man. It was tore up. Graffiti all over the mirror to the point you couldn't even see your face. Floor was wet like a pool bathroom. Trash overflowing. The toilet and urinal looked like they'd been through some things. It really matched the crowd vibe more than the clean dining room. Would I come back? Yeah, but not to sit down. I'll keep it to-go or get it delivered. The food is solid, fresh, and worth it. Just don't go in there expecting quiet vibes or clean restrooms after 9pm. This ain't Nobu. This is drunk-college-kid sushi done well. read more

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the California roll was good. The veggie roll was horrid. It was huge and made like it was estabalished by trash. Spicy tuna was a little too spicy but other than that it was great. read more

Kansai - California Roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Group of 6, seated fairly quickly, great service, amazing food, fun vibe. Haven't been here in years. Perfect end to a Friday night. read more

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This place is first come first serve basis. I would recommend going on Sunday as they do happy hour all day. It was very lively at night and the food was brought out at a good time. They're rolls are bigger than other places I've gone to and worth the price. The bento boxes give you so many options to try out different foods that it was hard for me to choose. I decided on the mix tempura and beef teriyaki. Which were delicious. My fav roll is the fried Philly roll. It was super yummy and if you enjoy cooked sushi this is a great place for it. I will say the place is large but still kinda hot in there so that would be my only downside to my dining experience. Overall this is one of the places I enjoy coming to and will make the trip from the city into Oakland for. read more

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Great staff and fun atmosphere! Gets packed during night time with sake bomb and definitely love their lion king

I always have a great experience, whether through the kind waiters or the food, at Kansai. Especially during their Happy Hour, my friends and I make the most of the prices and the huge and flavorful rolls. The baked mussels were cheesy and a great start to the other rolls. Come and do sake bombs in the back room!! read more

Kansai - John Roll, Spider Roll, Godzilla Roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

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I've been to Kansai for a total of at least 6 times. I think the prices are reasonable and service is generally fine. Unfortunately, I found a hair in my to-go sushi last time. I was disappointed because I actually had to wait longer than usual to get my food as well. Another thing that they could improve on is the temperature of the tea that they serve. Tea needs to be hot. read more

Kansai - I found a hair in my sushi - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Great happy hour menu. Fish was fresh. It was a Sunday evening so there was a wait for our food but service was great. Would visit here for a quick fix . A good amount of indoor seating. read more

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Perfect Sushi Night! We want here as a group of 5 and noticed it was VERY busy but luckily they sat us within 10min! Everyone got some rolls and the atmosphere was great, but if loud is not your vibe it might be too much...My favorite was definitely the Fried Godzilla roll and the complimentary miso soup was a perfect appetizer.I would love to come back for a date night not to mention they stay open LATE definitely visiting again!! read more

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Great Bento Box lunch specials, they're impressive but won't break your pockets. $15 out the door. I used to go late nights on the weekends back in the day, my palate is a bit more refined these days. Perfect for like good for late night eats and drinks if you still bar hop and such. Great for quick take out lunch if you don't. read more

Took my sister to Kansai for the first time and we enjoyed every bite. We love our time after church and plan to be back soon. Thank you to our hostess Pream read more

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Kansai is my go to sushi place. I love their selection of rolls. There's so many options that anyone can find something they like. The thing that keeps me coming back to this place is that the rolls are so BIG! Compared to other places I've tried for sushi, these rolls have much more filling. I feel like the size of the rolls really makes them worth the price. The pieces were too big for me or my friend to finish in one bite. This is a pretty popular spot but we didn't have to wait for a table, which was nice. Also- parking in this area is pretty limited. Kansai has their own private lot but it's small. It was full when we got there but I was able to find street parking nearby read more

Kansai - 007 Roll Oakland Roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

The food is wonderful, good portions... And good fresh fish... The only thing I would give it a demerit for is the California roll... what Kansai does is they grind up all the separate ingredients California roll into a slurry and then wrap the slurry in rice... while I will be going to Kansai again, I will not be ordering the California roll ever again read more

Ordered the Lion King roll and it was possibly one of the worst pieces of sushi I'd ever had. Too much going on and the flavors did not complement each other. Ordered it to go, so I didn't get the opportunity to try other menu items. For $17 + tax, I expected better. read more

Overall, it was a great experience. However, I was disappointed to learn that you no longer offer the complimentary Tootsie Roll at checkout. I genuinely look forward to that little treat every time I visit--it has become part of the experience for me. Finding out it was no longer available was surprisingly disappointing. Please consider bringing it back for your loyal customers! read more

This place is so inconvenient. We made a reservation for 9:30 and the restaurant was completely full and it was like we never made a reservation. read more

Brought my family here recently and had an excellent experience. The staff were very friendly and attentive, the food was on point and very well priced for sushi in the Bay Area. The interior was very clean and comfortable with great decor. They also have a private parking lot with security making visiting very convenient. We will definitely go again. read more

It's good to be back again! I had a lovely meal a few times with friends here recently, mostly during happy hour, but also great even when not. The nigiri portions are superbly generous and high quality. Salmon always f'n tasty. There's a reason it's still thriving after all these years. read more

Your time does not matter I made a reservation for 8 and got sat down at 10:30 this place is not good and the food and drinks suck

I really enjoined my dinner. The food was fantastic and the service was excellent. I will definitely visit Kansai again! read more

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Customer service was great when I first came and the food presentation was great. I was able to get a full bottle of sake all of the times I visited. I tip well and everything, but to go back to the very place I enjoy, and be cheated out of sake by them not filling up the large sake bottle to the brim like usual, to the waiter telling me it was! I only got 4 and half sake cups of the large sake. The sushi rolls where thrown together and normally I have to use my fingers to grab them because they're so big that I cannot possibly use chopsticks, but this time I was able to use the very thin chopsticks I have and not drop a bite! What a joke! I understand a place having off days, but to not show me that I am a valued customer when I addressed the issue I had in a polite way, lets me know my money is not valued. I will never go back there again! It took forever to get my check and the place had cleared out! read more

Food is so good! Only thing is that they're really busy but that's always a good sign! The place its self has a lot of seating as well it is a much bigger location than the Kansai in Hayward.the servers were also very nice. Sushi itself was very fresh and filling would 100% recommend! read more

It was a mighty fine, breezy friday evening. I had just finished making some hole in ones over at tipsy putt. But after getting tipsy and a couple putts, my stomach started rumbling. I sensed a thunderstorm coming if protein/carbs/fats didn't enter my bodysphere soon. I was craving some sushi, so we looked for a nearby spot. We landed on Kansai. After a quick 10 minute drive, we made it. We were greeted and seated immediately. Little did I know we were about to experience the best sushi dinner OF MY LIFE. The sushi was some of the best i've ever had. ESPECIALLY THE GODZILLA ROLL. I NEED THE GODZILLA ROLL ASAP. We also got some chicken, which was also 10/10. The service was quick and efficient. The prices were reasonable. The water quenched my thirst. Some nights, before I go to bed, I think of Kansai. Some mornings when i wake up, I think of Kansai. Sometimes when I go to other sushi restaurants, I wonder "how much better would this be if it was Kansai". Don't be a pork pie, choose Kansai. 10/10 no notes read more

Awwww yummy!! I had a great time on my birthday here, really good service and food. Hippy guy chill like that!

I ordered the S.P. Rainbow and I really liked it! It was fresh and tasty, and our server was really kind and funny (name might have been Keith or Lee? I have bad hearing sorry!). I also ordered the Sake Blossom cocktail which was definitely stronger than I thought it would be haha. Also, we were served miso soup as an appetizer which was a nice touch :) They have their own parking lot which is nice, it was easy to get seated on a Wednesday evening, and the ambiance is nice. read more

Kansai - S.P Rainbow Roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

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I don't usually write bad reviews, but this place earned it. I ordered a tempura roll and a regular California roll just to start. I didn't really know about this place, but I had a craving for some sushi , so I thought I'll give it a try . What a bad idea . Both rolls the size of a small burrito! Sushi should not require jaw exercises. It was massive, overstuffed, and incredibly messy, with ingredients spilling out everywhere. I spent more time trying to keep it together than actually enjoying it. Both rolls were sloppy, poorly rolled, and clearly rushed. Sushi is supposed to be clean, neat, and intentional ,not a food fight on a plate. For what they charge, I expected quality and care. Instead, I got oversized, messy rolls with zero attention to texture or flavor. Presentation was rough, taste was worse, and the whole experience felt careless. In all honesty, I threw it away. I just couldn't. Kansai do better . read more

Reliable local sushi spot to frequent with consistent quality and service. Lion king roll is our #1 go to! Honorary favs are the seaweed salad and the veggie gyoza. Catch happy hour and lunch specials to cut down the already decent prices. Spacious front of house with ample seating (even an outdoor area) and the parking lot is ideal in busy Temescal. read more

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Great happy hour deals! I got the chicken udon which was pretty okay for udon. There were very little chicken pieces despite the $3 upcharge but a lot of vegetables, but the soup itself did not feel too cohesive. I definitely need to try out the other sushi and offerings here as I'm sure I didn't get a specialty item. Salad was okay too! I liked it a lot! They use a lot of carrots in the udon and salad-- just a heads up. Parking was very straightforward as there is a parking lot in the restaurant lot. The inside was very pleasant and easy to sit at-- though it was loud it was a nice location to hold a conversation. Service was okay! The udon took about 20 minutes to come out and we got water refilled once! read more

Kansai - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Went here for lunch recently, menu has changed since I was last here 4+ years ago, pre-pandemic. The lunch menu is reasonable and extensive. Wife had a combo of Tonkatsu, Salmon and Sashimi whereas I had the Spicy Chirashi, a mixture of raw fish, salad, and rice with a sweet-spicy hot sauce. Good value for the money, tasty dishes, place is bright and airy, parking lot, good service. read more

Kansai - Lunch Combo - Tonkatsu, Salmon, and Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

Happy hour all day Sunday! The amount of fish they pile into the hand rolls is unreal. All the rolls were delicious and came out very quickly. Definitely get your moneys worth here and it's a great place to hang with large parties read more

Kansai - Spicy Tuna Hand Roll Spicy Tuna Roll Crunch Spicy Tuna Roll - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

The service went well! Food was amazing. It was my first time. I cannot recall what i ate. But it was delicious! Definitely recommend. read more

Kansai - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California

This Kansai location is in a busy area of Oakland, the intersection here is a bit awkward. There is a small parking lot on the side of the restaurant, which I was glad to get the last parking spot in because I did not want to park on the street and possibly come back to a broken window, which had happened to my friends a few times already. I had a bad feeling about coming here because of my previous bad experience, but I wanted to give them a chance because I used to like it before that previous time - I wished I could say my intuition was wrong, but it was definitely on point, so I was a bit disappointed that I did not listen to it. I ordered ahead of time on the phone for a takeout order, which I thought would had been ready by the time of my arrival. The employee assured me that it was coming out, so I paid, went to the bathroom to wash my hands, came back, and still had to wait, but there front is setup in a way where there is barely any room to stand with barely enough room for people to come in to check in or pay / pick up at the podium. At this time, there were a big wave of groups of customers trying to come / squeeze in (waiting to get seated to dine in). The employee disappeared and a different employee came to ask me what I was waiting for - he went to go ask her and she did some gestures, then looked annoyed towards me, no one came back, until my food was ready and he packed / brought my order over. I ordered an order each of the sake maki, kani nigiri, and sake nigiri. The sake maki and sake nigiri was fishy and did not taste fresh - the nigiri was not that neatly packed and it was smothered in the wasabi when I opened it to check my food (I do not really like wasabi either). I ended up putting a lot of soy sauce on sushi to mask the fishiness and wasabi taste, which I usually do not prefer because I like using minimal soy sauce for the salmon taste. The kani nigiri was probably the best sushi roll out of the 3 and it was a bit bland and flavorless - I ended up having to add a lot of soy sauce to this as well for any sort of taste. I ended up getting decently bad food poisoning from this spot afterwards. read more

Kansai is a great spot to stop by for late night happy hours and great deals! There is a lot of seating at this restaurant and we were seated immediately. We ordered a Dragon Roll, a John Roll, and a Chirashi Sushi from the happy hour menu. My friend and I also shared a Chicken Kaarage after seeing it on another table. Our food came out almost immediately after we ordered, which was a huge plus since we were so hungry. Their rolls were huge, and one is enough to definitely satisfy one person. I had to take home a few pieces leftover! The fish was very fresh and high quality. The chicken kaarage was very juicy and tender, which was a great addition. I would definitely stop by Kansai for their amazing happy hour deals and quick, kind service! read more

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Outstanding flavor and value! Such delicious Katsu and deep fried rolls and unagi! So much delicious food at a great value. Staff is friendly and attentive, but not intrusive. There was a rainbow while we dined. There's a parking lot. We'll be back! read more

I really really tried to like this place. I think I've given it 3 or 4 tries - yet each time I'm not thrilled. Pros: service, price, options, ambiance, and lunch specials. Cons: their fish is fishy :/ Would I come back here for other items other than sushi?! Absolutely? Would I come back here for sushi? I'm sorry, but it's a hard pass. read more

We visited Kansas Sushi Bar on a Saturday night at 11 PM, and one of the first things that stood out was how great it is to have a real restaurant open this late! Their hours are fantastic--open until 12:30 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:30 PM Sunday through Thursday--making it a perfect spot for a late-night bite. We ordered the chicken teriyaki, and it did not disappoint! It was flavorful, well-cooked, and really hit the spot. While we only tried one dish this time, the experience was good enough that I'd definitely come back to explore more of the menu. If you're looking for a solid late-night dining option with good food, Kansas Sushi Bar is a great choice! read more

It was late when we got out of Berkeley. Kansai seemed to be a perfect place for a late meal. As we ordered mostly the sushi and marki, I wanted to try the Nabeyaki Udon to warm up my body first. The udon was hot, but not too sweet. Just the way I wanted. Most of the rolls were fresh and tasty. The California Roll was ok, not earth shattering. Incidentally happy hour discount kicked in. So the overall bill was very reasonable. There were a lot of people from the graduation ceremony, so the place was packed. But that didn't drag down the services. Big crowd certainly made the place lively. I could understand why this is a popular place for students and families. A good joint w/ its own parking space. read more

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Good food always but the quality has gone down over the years after they opened up their other restaurants idk if the original chef moved to another one of their locations or what happened. read more

The worst sushi I have ever had in Bay Area, don't do this to yourself. Please go somewhere else. The fish was not fresh, low quality, rice mushy. A complete disappointment of an evening. It was still pricey too! read more

I ordered nigiri off the Uber eats app and each piece of sushi was fresh and tasty. I loved all of them. Usually when I get nigiri I worry about getting an "ocean" taste or it tasting too "fishy", but this whole set was really good and fresh tasting. Some of the pieces had a single piece of herb in it and it complemented the fish really well. I would totally order sushi from here again as it wasn't too expensive to order a nigiri set. read more

Kansai - Nigiri Mix Lunch Special - Japanese Near Me - Oakland, California